How to Find a Death Record Before and After 1945? Our Complete Guide

Discover practical tips and online resources to find a death record of an ancestor or a contemporary. Our tips will guide you in your genealogical research.

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Finding a death record, whether old or recent, can be a real challenge. Fortunately, several resources and techniques can help you overcome these obstacles.

Table of Contents: 

1. How to Find a Death Record Before 1945?

- Research in archives, the best online resources

- The old press: an interesting source for your research

- Finding a military ancestor or someone who died for France

- Research in cemeteries, a often neglected source

2. How to Find a Death Record After 1945? Recent Resources

- Think about marginal notes

- Search on death notice websites

- Consult the INSEE database (for deaths after 1970)

- Death of a military person, where to find essential information?

- Visit cemeteries or consult their online data

If there is no communication restriction regarding a death, the available information online or in archives depends on the period of your research: 

How to Find a Death Record Before 1945?

• Research in archives - the best online resources

Your research will mainly focus on parish and civil registers available on the websites of the